US President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign on Sunday followed a series of strategic missteps by his campaign team and White House aides. Biden’s halting performance at the June 27 presidential debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump prompted even some of his closest allies to question whether he could endure a full campaign.
The last eight days of the US presidential campaign have proved dramatic. Within days, Joe Biden became the first sitting President to stand down from a possible re-election since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.
Factors Leading to Biden Dropping Out
In April this year, Joe Biden told radio show host Howard Stern that he’d debate Trump. According to news agency Reuters, Biden was exhausted after traveling to Europe twice and to the West Coast over a 14-day period, taking just a few days to rest at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. On June 21, Biden and his aides went to Camp David for focused preparation sessions.
During the June 27 presidential debate, Biden stumbled over his words and lost his train of thought. Officials informed reporters that Biden was suffering from a cold at the time of the debate. Trump repeated a series of falsehoods during the 90-minute debate, including claims that he had won the 2020 election. Biden struggled to refute these claims, often leaving sentences and thoughts unfinished.
The day after the debate, Biden acknowledged his poor performance and his age, admitting he nearly fell asleep on stage. Calls for Biden to step down began almost immediately. Calls from Biden’s aides to worried Democrats facing re-election campaigns, who saw their political futures at risk, started days later.
On July 13, Trump was shot while giving a speech in Pennsylvania. The bullet grazed his ear and bloodied his face, with widely circulated photos showing the former president holding up his fist in defiance. Days later, Biden was diagnosed with Covid-19 while campaigning in Nevada. Recuperating at his Rehoboth Beach home, he had time alone to decide whether and how to end his campaign.
On July 21, Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Trump. He announced his decision in a letter posted on social media and subsequently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s candidate.
